The outbreak of rabbit hemorrhagic virus type 2 in the interior of China may be related to imported semen

Virol Sin. 2022 Aug;37(4):623-626. doi: 10.1016/j.virs.2022.04.003. Epub 2022 May 2.

¹ Innovation Team of Small Animal Infectious Disease, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, 200241, China.
² Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, 210014, China.
³ Veterinary Medicine Department of Agricultural and Animal College, Qinghai University, Xining, 810016, China. Electronic address: zqw_runner@163.com.
⁴ Innovation Team of Small Animal Infectious Disease, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, 200241, China. Electronic address: liugq@shvri.ac.cn.

Abstract

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We identified one RHD case caused by a new RHDV variant (GI.2) in China through HA, TEM, and genome sequencing.
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This is the first study to demonstrate that GI.2 can replicate efficiently in the reproductive system.
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Our evidence suggests that GI.2 might be introduced into China by contaminated rabbit semen.